South Shore residents feeling the loss of Kennedy

Nancy Reardon and Robert Sears

Wednesday

Aug 26, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 26, 2009 at 3:09 AM

When people across the South Shore woke up to the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s passing this morning, many of them said they immediately felt a heartbreaking sense of loss – for Massachusetts, the nation and even in their own lives.

Philip Johnston, former chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, talks about Kennedy.

When people across the South Shore woke up to the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s passing this morning, many of them said they immediately felt a heartbreaking sense of loss – for Massachusetts, the nation and even in their own lives.

In coffee shops, convenience stores and commuter stops, people heading off to work stood transfixed by morning newscasts or stood silently, with a newspaper in front of their faces, reading about the life of a 47-year senator.

Waiting for an MBTA commuter ferry at the Hingham Shipyard, Joy Thompson of Hingham reacted to Kennedy’s death with shock, asking for a moment to gather her thoughts.

“I just can’t believe it,” she said, before adding, “He was a great senator and we’re losing a great man.”

Many people grew up fascinated by tales of the state’s own royal family. Others have never lived in a Massachusetts without a Kennedy in office. For them, today marked the end of an era.

“It makes me very sad because he’s been a senator almost my entire life,” said Julie Mead of Quincy, in an Adams Street Dunkin’ Donuts. “He did a lot of great things for our country, and I won’t see anyone like him again.”

Kennedy’s death in a way ends a chapter of Stoughton resident Debbie Dempsey’s family history.

“As kids we grew up admiring the Kennedy family, and I still admire them for all they’ve done,” Dempsey said. “My uncle Jack got to know all of the Kennedys when he was with the State Police.”

Jack Dempsey was a lieutenant stationed on Cape Cod and over the years handled security around the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port whenever it was requested by the family.

“He started out with Joe, the father. I can remember him talking about the times that Jack Kennedy would go to Hyannis Port when he was president,” Dempsey said.

When he died, Ted attended Jack Dempsey’s wake.

John Mann, who was working the breakfast crowd at Arthur and Pat’s Restaurant in Marshfield, believes Kennedy will “go down as one of the great senators, certainly for our time.”

“I hope he will be remembered for all the good things he did for the people of Massachusetts,” said Mann.

“It will take a long time for Massachusetts to regain the seniority that he had in the Senate,” he said.

Many people who met the senator said even in a crowded room, Kennedy had the ability to make them feel like the only one there.

Rep. Garrett Bradley, D-Hingham, recalled such an experience a few years ago, when he spoke with Kennedy about a constituent who had difficulty contacting federal offices.

“He had a unique way of making you feel that he was only talking to you and that the issue was most important to him in that moment,” Bradley said.

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill changed his voter registration from independent to Democrat just so he could vote for Kennedy in the 1980 presidential election. He recently switched back.

“His affect on the city of Quincy was significant as was his ability to work with people from all walks of life,” Cahill said through a spokeswoman. “On a personal level, I was proud to cast the vote for him for president in 1980 and many times thereafter.”

For many Massachusetts politicians, the Kennedy family motivated them to seek a life in public service. Early this morning, Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, said Kennedy will have a lasting impact on generations to come.

“He has left a legacy that will not be forgotten and that will serve as model and inspiration for future leaders and for the future of all Americans,” Murray said in a statement.

Reporter Tony Catinella contributed to this report. The Patriot Ledger

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